"So, is there anything you don't understand?" Rukia asked from her high perch on the edge of Ichigo's bed while shoving her always convenient sketchbook towards his face. He currently had his face buried in a comic book. Ichigo looked up from his comic book with his famous bored expression.

"Yeah, there is one thing I don't understand," he said, "Why do your drawings suck so much?" Despite his mouth being covered with the comic, Rukia could sense that he was smiling. Rukia crossed her arms over her chest.

She slowly closed the book as if afraid of even getting her fingerprints on the cover, and then with all of her strength she hit him over the head with it. Ichigo grabbed his head with both his hands.

"Owww!" he whirled to face her on his knees, "What was that for?"

"My drawings do not suck," Rukia stated, "You just aren't artistic enough to understand them." Now that Rukia felt that she had his full attention, she opened the sketch book again, "Now, any questions that isn't completely preposterous?"

Ichigo acted as if he wanted to retaliate, but just rubbed his orange hair, "No, I got it the first time you showed it to me."

Rukia's eyes narrowed as the sides of his mouth started to curl up at the ends, "Then why did you act like you didn't understand every other time I showed it to you?"

Ichigo slowly raised his eyes up, and the smile that said a huge fight was about to break out between them flashed across his face, "I just wanted so see if your drawings would get better with practice. I was wrong. They still suck." He was to his feet, and out of the door before Rukia could even shift her position.

Rukia didn't even really process he was gone until the door slammed shut. Rukia sat there in a stunned silence before looking down at her own drawings. She thought the drawings meant to represent hollows were very well done.

Just by looking into its dark, little, rabbit eyes you could see the urge to devour anyone who crossed its path. The little paws looked like they were ready to reach out of the page, and rip the reader apart.

"Yup," Rukia said, closing her sketchbook, "He's just a stupid strawberry with zero artistic ability." She got up off of his bed, for Ichigo really did not like her up there. He was starting to put up with her on it, but she couldn't be on it if he was. It was really the only rule he ever enforced.

She still preferred his closet to all the places she slept in over her lifetime. It was small, it felt homey, and she could hear Ichigo sleeping on the other side at most times. It was a comforting feeling that she missed when she left this little closet.

She curled up on the little bed, and laid on her back. She pulled out her phone, and glanced at the picture. Ichigo had high jacked this phone in determination to figure out its secrets. He was disappointed when he found out that it wasn't too hard to figure out, and much like a regular phone.

Rukia knew that Ichigo had just got lucky considering it had taken her such a long time to figure it out even with teaching. He'd taken a picture with her phone, and teasingly set it as her wall paper, while she jumped and kicked at his shins.

The picture was looking down on the two of them while Ichigo laughed, and Rukia had a looked of pure determination on her face as she crouched down in attempt to get the required height. She had at first been enraged to find herself looking so helpless, and swore that when she figured out how to get it off, she'd delete it.

She figured out about a day ago, but it still resided on her wall paper. She kept it because she thought it summed up their relationship perfectly. Ichigo was always annoying her, being mean to her, and teasing her about her height, and she always let him get away with it. She knew to get her phone back, she just could have completely beat him senseless, but she never did.

"Dinner!" Ichigo threw open the closet, "Rukia!" Rukia slammed the phone closed as if she had done something to be embarrassed about.

"Damn it, you stupid strawberry!" she snarled feeling strangely under attack, "I told you to knock! I could be changing!" She grabbed the inside of the door, and tried to slam it closed, but Ichigo just leaned against it.

"It doesn't matter if I walk in while you're changing," Ichigo said with a shrug, "There is nothing to see anyway." Before Rukia could attack with her jaw breaking kick, he held out the food in his hand, "An apology gift for having to be the one to break it to you that your drawings suck."

Rukia swiped the plate of food out of his hands, and pelted him with the rice balls.

"Hey!" Ichigo said shaking his head, "Do you have any idea how hard that is to get out of your hair?" He brushed his hair, and little chucks of rice flew out in all directions.

"My drawings do not suck." Rukia said, sinking her teeth into the apology/insult meal. Ichigo sat down next to her, making her move over so he could fit. With him on her bed the closet went from homey to uncomfortably close.

Rukia had one shoulder on the wall, and the other one was pressed against him.

"You can't even stand in here," he commented, and then gave her a side glance, "Forget that last statement. I forgot you were so short." Rukia did attempt to hit him, but with their close range all she was able to manage was an elbow to his side.

He just chuckled, "Ummm, oww? Was that supposed to hurt?" Rukia blew a strand of hair from over her right eye, and gave him a hard stare. Ichigo raised his eyebrow, completely unfazed by the glare that she had thought she mastered perfectly.

She turned her eyes into his empty room, "Hey, Ichigo?" she asked in a pretty quiet voice.

Ichigo, completely oblivious to the change of tone, leaned back against the wall, "Hmmm?"

Rukia lowered her head to hide her face in her bangs, "Do my drawings really suck? I mean, you saw it every time I show you a drawing."

Ichigo turned to her with a teasing smile, but when he saw her uncertain eyes, he seemed to pause. Ichigo stared at her for a moment. Their eyes locked, and she was afraid that he could see that his answer, completely truthful and not teasing, really mattered to her.

"Nah," Ichigo said, resting an elbow on his knee and his chin on his palm, "You just always draw bunnies, and I don't like bunnies."

Rukia sat in a thoughtful silence, "That makes sense!" she said, her eyes lighting up, "You don't like any of the bunny stuff I get you, or I draw! Ichigo are you afraid of bunnies?"

Ichigo pressed his lips together, and hid his mouth in his hand before nodding. Rukia could see his shoulders shaking, and she realized that she must have thoughtlessly brought up a traumatic experience. As his shoulder started to shake even more, the guilt hit her.

She hesitantly reached a hand out, and rested it between his shoulder blades. Ichigo glanced up, and for a moment he stopped shaking. Seeing her worried face must have made him remember the trauma again, for he started shaking even harder.

Rukia instantly wrapped both arms around his neck, and pulled him close to her. Ichigo completely froze. Rukia pulled his head to her shoulder in a way she'd seen another woman comfort a man on a movie.

Ichigo stopped shaking, but he seemed very tense. It was like he was frozen. Rukia rested her chin on the stop of his head, and started running her hands through his hair. She'd always liked this color. She was happy that he hadn't dyed it black.

"Ummm, Rukia?" Ichigo asked. Rukia was surprised to find his voice much deeper than normal with a hint of uncertainty, and, what appeared to be, a little embarrassment.

"It's okay Ichigo," Rukia said firmly, and hugged him tighter, "It's okay to be scared. Everyone has a fear." Ichigo's body seemed to slump.

"Bunnies?" Ichigo looked up with a little disappointed frown, "God, you are so stupid." He sat up. Rukia put a hand on her shoulder where his head had been. It felt so cold. He readjusted himself to lean back against the wall, but Rukia noticed that he seemed farther away this time.

"What are you scared of?" Ichigo asked after a moment of silence.

"We are trained not to be…"

"You just said that everyone has a fear," interrupted Ichigo, "So, tell me what's yours."

Rukia rubbed her neck, and fiddled with her bangs, "You'll laugh at me."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "I can't laugh because, apparently, I'm afraid of bunnies." Ichigo shook his head at this, but still waited for her to answer.

Rukia sighed, "I guess I'm afraid of a lot of things. I'm afraid that I won't be powerful enough to save someone I care about. I'm afraid that my fear will cause innocent deaths. I'm afraid of embarrassing my brother." Rukia locked eyes with Ichigo, "But one of my biggest fears is that when I come back to the living world, you won't be here waiting for me. You will have forgotten me, or letting someone else sleep in your closet, or have died."

Rukia couldn't look him in the eyes anymore.

"I know it's strange," Rukia admitted, "But I'm afraid that everything won't be the same when I get here. I live to come back here. It's my favorite place to be." Rukia wasn't as embarrassed as she thought she'd be. She just felt relieved.

"You know what I fear?" Ichigo asked calmly, "I fear it even more than bunnies. I'm afraid that one day, I'll wake up, and you'll be gone again, and this time, you won't come back." Rukia looked away, and tried to hide how pleased she was. "Just because you turn away doesn't mean I can't see you blushing." Ichigo pointed out.

"I am not!" she turned to face Ichigo, ready to defend herself when his mouth caught hers. She was too stunned to react. The kiss only lasted five seconds, and Ichigo was the only one who actually did anything.

He broke away, and leapt out of the closet. "You are totally blushing." He said with a wolfish grin. Rukia regained her senses.

"You…you…Stupid Strawberry!" She leapt to her feet, and shot after the retreating Ichigo. He easily galloped down the stairs with Rukia on his heels. He landed on the floor, and turned around. Rukia hadn't expected this, and ran straight into him.

He lifted her up easily, and put an arm under her to keep her in the air, and against his chest.

"Yup," Ichigo said with a smile, "You are totally blushing." Rukia kissed him just to shut him up because whether he liked it or not, he was blushing too!